The new Peacemaker series on HBO Max has crafted a terrifying and terrible villain in Auggie Smith, the father of Peacemaker. He is also the supervillain White Dragon, though DC Comics fans know there are many substantial differences between the live-action version of the character and the various iterations that have appeared in the comics over the years.
The White Dragon shares some personality traits with the DCEU version and similar armor, but the biographical details are very different. The DCEU version of White Dragon combines aspects of the different comic book takes on the character, as well as Peacemaker's actual father. Together, they form one of the most revolting characters in the DCEU.
One thing fans of the show won't find in some of the best Peacemaker comic books is the White Dragon. The two characters actually have no relationship in DC Comics at all, and the villain has never really crossed paths with Peacemaker in his various forms.
Peacemaker's father is a racist and supremacist, but the live-action version borrows from other sources in the comic books to create a new character in Auggie Smith, played by Robert Patrick.
Elements of Peacemaker's father from the comics do inform the live-action version, but he is a separate character from White Dragon. Comic book fans know that Peacemaker's father was a Nazi soldier. Though his father had died, he continued to haunt the character.
His father would become in many ways one of Peacemaker's most powerful villains in the comics, thanks to his power and impact on Christopher Smith's mental state. In many ways, the live-action version borrows some of these elements of Peacemaker's father.
The first White Dragon in DC Comics was Daniel William Ducannon. He was a vigilante who first appeared in Hawkworld #27 in 1992. His racist beliefs led him to several clashes with superheroes including Hawkwoman and the Suicide Squad.
Some aspects of his character have informed the live-action version of the character, including his armored outfit. Other elements are original to the Peacemaker series, making him more of an amalgamation of the various comic versions.
White Dragon obtained his superpowers of pyrokinesis and flight from what was known as the Meta-Bomb Event, a cataclysmic moment from Invasion!, the 1989 DC Comics crossover. This bomb activated the meta-gene in humans, making them superhumans.
The first White Dragon could generate fire and also control it as a result of this event. It doesn't seem that the live-action version in the DCEU has these superpowers, though it's possible he could reveal them by the end of the series.
The Joker is one of Batman's best villains in the comics, but he's one of the biggest threats to the entire world. He proved that In Joker: Last Laugh, when he Jokerized numerous supervillains who had been incarcerated in Slabside, including White Dragon.
At this point, the White Dragon had been captured and was undergoing treatment for cancer. When Joker attacked the penitentiary, he transformed him into a frenzied villain who lashed out with his pyrokinetic powers.
Ducannon was actually preceded by another White Dragon in DC Comics. A character named William Heller, better known as William Hell, made his first appearance in Suicide Squad #4, in a costume that was very different from his eventual armored look.
William Hell is as much a racist and supremacist as Ducannon is, and became a vigilante who targeted disenfranchised people. He became a target himself of Suicide Squad in the comics, but like many villains, his connection to that team would take an interesting turn.
Comic book fans know Suicide Squad is comprised of a number of unsavory characters including former villains. One of them was White Dragon. William Hell joined the team after being pursued by them, and his armor was fitted with a shock device to ensure his obedience.
He never changed his ways and actually attempted to kill Amanda Waller, the head of Task Force X, and take over Suicide Squad. As is usually the case with characters who take on Amanda Waller, it didn't work out to White Dragon's advantage.
White Dragon's coup ends in disaster for the entire team. White Dragon mercilessly kills his former teammate Twister, which enrages another member, Plastique. She pierces his high-tech armor and kills him by creating an energy blast inside his suit.
His death in Suicide Squad #8 from the 2007 volume of the series would mark the end of this version of the character. A new version of White Dragon has yet to emerge in current DC Comics continuity, but may with his appearance in live-action.
The defining feature of all DC Comics' versions of White Dragon is his high-tech armor. This carries over into the very faithful adaptation for Peacemaker, though there are differences. The armor gives White Dragon additional strength and stamina and in the Ducannon version, as it was able to channel his pyrokinetic ability to make his flames even more dangerous than they were to begin with.
The armor is essentially impenetrable, though Plastique exploited a weakness in the eye ports. The DCEU version appears to be a mix of armor and fabric, meaning it is likely not as invulnerable as the comic version.
Fans searching for White Dragon from the comics may be confused by another version that originates from Marvel. Marvel Comics has a few versions of White Dragon, and though they share a similar red and white color scheme, they're completely different characters.
Perhaps the best-known version is the second, debuting in The Amazing Spider-Man #184. He is an enforcer working for the Dragon Lords gang in New York City and models his uniform on a Chinese dragon. He fought with Spider-Man on several occasions as well as Shang-Chi.
